Our Name is Bolt Chapter Two
Following George's directions, Jeremy brought the buggy to a halt at a big yellow farmhouse outside of Tacoma. It was beginning to get dark.
"You can put your pistol away, George. We are here. I give you my word that I won't try anything." Jeremy was grim.
George chuckled as he shook his head. "Has anyone ever told you that you are a terrible liar, Mr. Bolt? What man in his right mind wouldn't try to save this beautiful woman?"
Jeremy looked at Candy. She had fallen asleep in spite of her fear several miles back.
"Candy, wake up, Sweetheart. We need to go inside out of the cold." Jeremy whispered.
"I love you, Jeremy." She murmured as she opened her eyes.
Her husband slid closer to her on the seat. He placed his hands lightly on her shoulders.
"I love you, Candy. Are you awake?" Jeremy spoke softly.
"Oh, hell! Just tell her to go in the house!" George exclaimed.
Jeremy glared at George. He looked momentarily at Mrs. Brown. She had a sappy smile on her face as if she was watching a play.
Returning his attention to his wife, he said, "Candy?"
"I'm awake, Jeremy. This is not our cabin. Where are we?" Candy questioned.
"I need for you to be brave for me. You can do that, can't you, sweet girl?" He asked.
"Yes, Jeremy, I can be brave. What's wrong?" She inquired.
"We have been k-k-kid, k-k-kid,n-n-napped by Mary and George." He replied.
Candy was alarmed because Jeremy was stuttering so badly. She gave him a hug.
"What do they want with us,Jeremy?" She whispered in his ear."
"I …don't…know." Jeremy spoke slowly and deliberately trying not to stutter.
The young Bolt couple gazed questioningly at their captors.
"Let's go in the house. Then I will explain to you why you are here." Mary spoke.
Candy and Jeremy followed Mary into the house while George came behind them keeping them at gunpoint.
The Bolts were allowed to sit on the sofa in the parlor with Mr. Foster and his weapon. Mary took a seat in an armchair across from the couch.
Mary eyed Jeremy and his wife before speaking. She smiled when she said, "The two of you are here because I want your baby."
"We don't have a baby." Jeremy replied.
"Yes, I know that. Just as I know that you are exceptionally handsome, Jeremy." Mary leered at him.
"Wait a minute, lady! You are not sleeping with my husband!" Candy shouted.
"Calm down, red! I'm warning you! " George pointed the gun at her temple.
"P-P-Please don't h-h-hurt her." Jeremy was frightened. "Be careful, C-C-Candy."
Candy glared at Mary in disgust. Then she looked at the gun pointed at her. When she turned her head toward her husband, she saw that he was trembling. Putting her arm around him, she apologized.
"I'm sorry I frightened you, sweetheart. I promise I will behave. I don't want us to get hurt."
"Okay, thank you, sweet girl." He sighed with relief.
"May I ask a question, please?" The red haired girl inquired in a calm voice.
"Yes, you may." Mrs. Brown told her.
"If you are planning to have a baby by my husband, why did you kidnap me? I'm glad that Jeremy is not alone in this situation. But I don't understand why you need me." Candy inquired.
Mary smiled as she looked at Jeremy once again. "You are mistaken, Candy. I am not planning to sleep with Jeremy at least not anytime soon and not to have a baby. I can no longer bear children. That's why you are here. My plan is for you and Jeremy to have a baby and give him or her to me."
The color drained from Candy's face as she leaned her head against Jeremy's chest. She whimpered, "You can't take our baby from us. We won't let you."
Jeremy held her in a fierce embrace. "Don't worry, Candy. They won't get our baby. I won't let them. Our child will be safe no matter what I have to do."
"I'm sure your no matter what includes your demise, Mr. Bolt. Think about this. What happens to your wife and your child when you are gone?" George asked.
"Those are very brave words, Jeremy. I wonder if you can live up to them." Mary said doubtfully.
Jeremy looked at Mary and George with disdain. "Let's say we went along with your plan. We had a baby and gave the child to you, Mary. What happens to my wife and me after that?"
The captors shared a hearty laugh. "What do you think would happen, Jeremy? You are an intelligent young man. I'm sure you can figure it out." George snickered.
"You would kill us or have someone else do it to keep us quiet or from trying to get our son or daughter back." He spoke angrily narrowing his eyes at them.
"You are correct, Jeremy. If you don't cooperate, both of you will die immediately. So your best idea is to go along with me. Who knows? I might decide that I want a second baby. That would give you and Candy even longer to live." Mary explained.
"I guess we have no choice. We will do as you wish, Mary." Jeremy replied.
"Jeremy?" Candy was shocked.
"It will be alright, Sweetheart." He said. "May we go to bed now? I'm tired and my wife is exhausted."
"Yes, you two can go to bed. Follow me." George replied.
Jeremy and Candy followed George upstairs to the attic. It was clean and neat. It was a lovely bedroom. There was a washroom adjoining it. George showed them where the night clothes and the toiletries were kept.
Foster left the room. Jeremy listened until he no longer heard the man's footsteps before he spoke.
"Candy, we need to try to escape. There is no way we would ever give our child away to anyone. I felt like I had to agree with Mary just to be able to get out of her sight." Jeremy whispered.
"I agree with you, darling. I'm so scared. There is a good chance that we will be killed trying to escape, isn't there?" His wife asked in a whisper.
"I'm afraid so, sweet girl. However, I will do my best to get you out of here safely." Jeremy said softly. "I'm going to watch their routine for a few days. Late at night will probably be the best time to run. Let's try to get some sleep. I love you, Candy." Her husband held her close.
Candy snuggled against his chest. "I love you, Jeremy."
They got ready for bed. After they kissed goodnight, they went to sleep.
The next morning, Mary surprised them with some of their own clothes. Jeremy's cords, plaid shirt, and boots and several of Candy's dresses. Mary laughed at the shocked expressions on their faces. She explained that she and George had easily broken into their cabin Sunday morning and stolen their clothes.
The Bolt couple looked at her in disgust without responding. Mary advised them to get dressed and come downstairs to breakfast. She left the room. Jeremy and Candy got dressed.
"Jeremy, let's pray before we go downstairs, please." Candy spoke.
"Sure, Candy. That's a great idea." He agreed.
They sat on the bed holding hands. With their heads bowed and their eyes closed, Candy began to pray.
"Dear God, we thank you for our many blessings. We thank you for watching over us and keeping us safe. Please help us to escape and return home safely. Please help Mary and George to see the err of their ways and repent. This we ask in the Name of Your Son, Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen."
"Thank you reminded that God is watching over us helps my feelings." Jeremy gave her a kiss on her cheek.
"You are welcome, darling. It helps me too." She replied.
They went downstairs to the kitchen. There was a big breakfast waiting for them. Candy and her husband were allowed to eat at the kitchen table with Mary and George.
The food was good and the coffee was hot. The young couple was hungry since they had not eaten since lunch the previous day.
As the meal was ending, George began advising Jeremy of a list of chores he was expected to do. The young lumberjack was allowed to look at the list. He agreed to help. Mary had a list for Candy as well. Mrs. Bolt also consented to do her part around the house and the farm.
The busy day went by fast. Jeremy and Candy watched their captors closely making mental notes of each one's routine.
That night in bed, Jeremy groaned due to his aching muscles. "I thought logging was a hard job. I believe farming has it beat. I'm more tired than a dead mule."
"Oh, Jeremy!" Candy giggled. "Did you see anything helpful today?"
"Well, I saw Brownie and Annabelle in the stable. They looked great. All of the horses looked well cared for. George obviously likes them. Our buggy was in the stable too. It seemed to be okay. I was worried that George might have damaged it somehow to be sure we can't use it. I'll try to check it again tomorrow." Jeremy told her.
" Okay, Sweetheart. They brought just about all of our clothes from our cabin.I helped Mary hang some of them in three different chifforobes today. Seeing so many of our outfits makes me wonder what else they took." Candy sighed.
"I don't know. Our belongings can be replaced. The most important thing is that we get away from here safely and that we do it soon." Jeremy frowned.
"You are worried about Jason and Joshua tracking us here aren't you? What do you think would happen if they did?" The red head asked.
"I can't say for sure, sweet girl. However, I have a sick feeling that someone would get seriously hurt. Maybe even killed." Young Bolt spoke somberly.
"Oh, no, Jeremy!" Candy shivered at the thought.
The married couple lay awake a long time worrying before they drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.
Tuesday went the same as Monday. There was lots of hard work on the farm and many household chores to do. Jeremy kept a watchful eye on George while Candy did the same with Mary.
Jeremy halfway expected Jason and Joshua to come searching for him and his wife. Then he wondered if they were in the edge of the surrounding woods waiting for the right time to rescue them.
Jeremy discussed his thoughts with Candy that night in bed. "I got to wondering why my brothers haven't figured out where we are yet. They know we left town Sunday afternoon with Mary and George and they haven't seen us since. I have missed two days of work. It's got me worried about them."
"It is strange. They are excellent at tracking. Maybe it rained in Seattle and washed away the tracks. Oh,Jeremy, your brothers are probably looking for us in Olympia. That's where the bank robbery was and Tommy's memorial service." Candy spoke.
"You are probably right, Candy. I had not thought of that. Jason and Josh think Mary lives in Olympia. Now I'm not so worried about them." Jeremy replied.
The young husband put his arms around his lovely wife. "Sweetheart, I think we should try to escape tomorrow night. The routine around here seems to be the same each day. Will you be ready tomorrow night?"
"Yes, I will, Jeremy. I love you. When I pray, I will ask God to help us and to protect us." Candy answered.
"I love you too, Sweetheart." He kissed her lips.
The next day was Wednesday. While the Bolt couple did their chores, they managed to get a few clothes and the needed gear to the stable. Jeremy hid it in the empty stall under some hay.
"Jeremy, you are not saying much tonight." George commented as he passed the meatloaf around the table. "Something big on your mind?"
"The two of you aren't plotting your escape are you?" Mary laughed wickedly. "Oh, by the way, I haven't heard any baby making going on. You better start on that tonight."
Jeremy and Candy sat very still trying not to flinch at the words of their captors.
"I'm just tired, I guess. I never farmed before. I didn't know it was such hard work. It makes logging look kinda easy." Jeremy chuckled.
Mary and George smirked at him. Then they ate their meal in silence.
The kidnappers stayed up later than usual. Jeremy worried that they had become aware of their plan to escape. When they finally went to bed, Candy and her husband had a whispered conversation in their bedroom.
"Do you think they know, Jeremy?" Asked Candy.
"I'm not sure. They talked as if they might know." Jeremy answered.
"They certainly did. It made me a nervous wreck. Especially when Mary made that remark about baby making." Candy shivered.
"I'm worried, Candy. And I'm scared. But I don't think we ought to wait. We are ready to go tonight. So let's do it. Are you still willing to try?" Jeremy questioned.
"Yes, Sweetheart, I'm willing. I pray that we make it home safely. However, if we don't, at least we will die together. One of us won't have to grieve for the other." She replied.
The young couple embraced in a bear hug. They shared a passionate kiss. When their kiss ended, they gazed into each other's eyes as they said, "I love you."
Candy and Jeremy slipped quietly and quickly down the stairs and out of the front door. They each carried a lantern with them.
Jeremy also had a shotgun. It belonged to George. He had several weapons. Young Bolt hoped he would not miss this one anytime soon.
Looking around outside, they didn't see anyone. Candy and Jeremy ran fast to the stable. Hurrying to hitch the horses to the buggy, the couple prayed that all of the horses would be quiet. Fortunately, they stayed silent.
Soon the young Bolt couple was in their vehicle headed for home.
Jeremy made the horses gallop for several miles. Candy was keeping watch behind them. She was holding the shotgun. Mrs. Bolt was prepared to use it if needed. When they married, Jeremy taught her how to use the weapon because she would be alone in their mountain cabin everyday while he worked.
After traveling several miles, Jeremy allowed the horses to go a little slower. He looked around holding the reins in one hand and his lit lantern in the other.
"I don't see anybody. Do you, Candy?" He asked.
"No, I don't see anyone! I think we made it, Jeremy!" She spoke excitedly.
When her husband didn't respond, Candy turned toward him with her lantern.
"Jeremy, look at me, please." Candy requested.
He looked at her with a grim expression.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"It was too easy for us to get away. Somehow Mary and George knew. The more I think about what they said at supper, the more convinced I am that they knew we were planning to escape." Jeremy explained.
"If they knew, why didn't they try to stop us?" Candy questioned.
"That is why I'm worried. I'm glad we got away but I'm thinking that some type of retaliation is coming." Jeremy said.
Candy was frightened. "What type of retaliation, Sweetheart?"
"The worst type, Candy. I believe George and Mary will kill one of us." Jeremy gulped.
"We can report them to Marshall Trueaxe and have them arrested and sent to prison for kidnapping us. Jason can wire the Governor to ask that they get years and years in prison. That would keep us safe." The red head replied frantically.
"Maybe, sweet girl. Try not to worry." He patted her shoulder.
"How can I not worry when I can tell that you don't really believe that prison will keep us safe from those maniacs? And what about our children, Jeremy? We are going to have babies one day. How do we protect them?" Candy Bolt asked.
"I don't have all the answers right now, Sweetheart. We will figure it out. Let's just get home and go to bed." Her husband spoke.
"Could we go to Lottie's, please, darling? I know you are awfully tired. But I feel funny thinking about us going into our cabin alone in the middle of the night after George and Mary broke in." Candy told him.
"You are thinking if we go in tonight alone, Mary and George will be there waiting for us, right?" Jeremy glanced at her.
"Yes, how did you know?" Candy inquired.
"I thought of it too." He answered. "Lottie's is a great idea."
When they arrived in Seattle, there were a lot of people at the church. Due to the late hour, the couple knew something terrible had occurred.
Jeremy parked the buggy at the saloon. He tied Brownie and Annabelle to the post. Candy and her husband ran across the street and into the church.
The building was almost packed. Several people were at the altar rail praying, some were praying in the pews, and others were in the back of the sanctuary talking. Jeremy scanned the room for his brothers. He did not see them.
Suddenly, Young Bolt saw Corky walking toward him and Candy.
"Hi, Corky. What happened? Who is everyone praying for?" Jeremy asked his friend.
"Hey, Jeremy! Hello, Candy. Josh will be here in a minute. He can explain everything to you. It will be easier to hear it from him. I gotta go. I'll keep praying. Everything will be okay!" Corky said as he hurried out of the church.
Jeremy and Candy were confused. "Why would it be easier to hear what happened from Joshua?" Candy questioned. "Unless…..Oh dear God!" She searched the room.
Jason was not at the church. As head of the family, he was the one to break bad news to the others.
Candy gazed into Jeremy's eyes. They were full of tears. He had come to the same realization.
"I gotta talk to Josh! I'll be back!" He said as he ran out of the door.
"Jeremy! I'm coming with you!" Candy ran out of the door behind him.
The couple met the blond Bolt in the middle of the street. Joshua spoke first.
"Jeremy! Where the hell have you been?"
"Candy and I were kidnapped Sunday afternoon! That's where the hell I have been! Tell me what happened to Jason! Is he dead?" Jeremy yelled.
"No, Jason isn't dead. Who kidnapped you and Candy? Are you both alright?" Joshua asked in a calmer tone.
"Yes, we are okay, Joshua. We were kidnapped by Mary Brown and George Foster. Please tell us about Jason." Candy spoke.
"Foster? Jason was shot tonight by Jack Foster. Doctor Wright removed the bullet. But it's too soon to know if Jason will survive." Joshua put his arm around his pale younger brother.
"Where is his bullet wound, Josh?" Jeremy asked.
"It's in his chest, Jeremy. The bullet missed his heart. Thank God. We had just sat down to eat supper. There was a knock at the door. Jason got up from the table and opened the door. Jack Foster fired his shotgun hitting Jason. Foster fired from the edge of the porch. If he had shot our brother point blank….." Joshua's voice trailed off.
"I want to see him, Josh." Jeremy spoke hoarsely.
"Sure, Jeremy." Joshua kept his arm around his brother as they turned around and headed to the hospital. Candy held on to her husband's arm as she walked with them.
In Jason's room, Jeremy sat down in the chair at the head of the bed. Candy and Joshua sat in other chairs close to the bed.
Jeremy covered his face with his hands. He took a deep breath as he lowered his hands. The youngest brother studied the eldest brother's face. Then he straightened the edge of the bed cover at the top.
Taking another deep breath, Jeremy took Jason's hand in his.
All at once, Jason opened his eyes. He looked at Jeremy. In a weak voice, he spoke. "Mary Brown wants to sell your baby."
Jason went back to sleep.
Jeremy was shocked. He turned his head to look at Candy and Joshua.
"Why does Jason think Mary wants to sell our baby?" He asked.
"Because Mary's mother sold Jason's son years ago. He found out yesterday." Joshua spoke.
"Jason has a son?" Jeremy stared at his oldest brother in disbelief.
TBC